 Sun spends $30,000 building mom's gift, uncovers masterpiece lost in time. Jeannie Pinto had grown up in the 60s, but she was very different from other girls her age. While her friends passed the time by playing with their Barbie dolls and dreaming of meeting the perfect husband one day, Jeannie dreamed about bigger things. The thrill of driving in a fast car with the wind in her hair symbolized ultimate freedom for her. But Jeannie wasn't about to realize her dreams so easily. One fateful evening, when Jeannie was in fifth grade, she was fetched from school camp by her best friend's mother. She had never ridden in a car like this before, and it was love at first sight. The 11-year-old girl was taken by the smooth metallic curves of the American muscle car. The excitement of driving down the open road with the top down, warm summer breeze in her hair, was an experience she would never forget. But just hours after, tragedy struck. The exhilaration of the moonlight drive-home had left Jeannie's young heart full of longing, but as soon as she walked into her home, her mother gave her some news that changed her life forever. Her whole world collapsed around her after that car ride, and things would never be the same again. For the rest of her life, she clung to that memory of being carefree with the wind in her hair, just moments before the crushing blow. Jeannie's mother's face was streaked with tears, and her voice trembled. Jeannie's father had passed away that very day, while she was at camp. After finding out the terrible news, Jeannie was devastated. She wished with all her heart that she could go back in time, to those moments under the guiding moonlight that was sprinkled on the road like stars, as she sat in the back seat of the iconic car. Jeannie spent her teenage years working hard for her dreams. That American muscle car that she remembered so fondly became a symbol to her it embodied the freedom and success she struggled so hard to attain. She knew that she would have to struggle in a male-dominated society to prove her worth, so that's what she did. But unfortunately, life had other plans for Jeannie. Money was tight in Jeannie's household after her father was no longer there to provide for his family. She scrimped and saved every penny to buy herself her dream car one day, but when her mother hit hard time she encouraged her to pay for college instead, and Jeannie put her plans on hold. Jeannie eventually married and had children, but she never forgot her life's dream to own the car that had inspired the happiest moment in her life. Years passed, and her children were adults now. On her 60th birthday, she finally gave up on her lifelong dream. But she recounted the story of that magical night when she had the wind in her hair to her children and grandchildren, and they never forgot the faraway look that would come over Jeannie's eyes every time she told it. Jeannie's dream wasn't lost on her husband, Tony, either. After retiring, he had set aside a small nest egg. And now that their mortgage was paid off, he knew exactly what he was going to do with it. But there was one problem, Chevrolet had stopped production of one particular car years ago, and it was now considered to be vintage. So he immediately got to work trolling the listings, but every car he found was going to need a lot of work. Eventually, Donnie, Jeannie's son, found what he was looking for. It was the old Chevrolet Nova of Jeannie's dreams, but it would need a complete rebuild. It was situated in South Carolina and would have to be shipped San Diego. But Donnie and Tony felt it was all worth it to give Jeannie what she had longed for all those years. It was a small price to pay for what she had sacrificed for her family all the time, energy, and effort she had put into making sure they were cared for. Now, it was their turn to show their gratitude. On that sunny day in November, it was finally ready. The car gleamed with a shiny new coat of red paint, the chrome glinted, and the engine purred. It was finally time to reveal the monumental gift to Jeannie. So Tony sent her a text message of Donnie standing next to the finished masterpiece. At first, Jeannie was puzzled. Then, she received another message that said, come outside. Confused, Jeannie opened the door and looked around. She heard the engine roar as Donnie and Tony rounded the corner and rolled into the drive, and her eyes widened in astonishment. She realized that she was looking at her dream car the car that had become an unattainable dream, and she threw her hands up to her face and shrieked. Jeannie walked up to the pristine cherry red Chevy Nova, shaking her head and exclaiming, you're kidding me, right. Over and over again, then she saw Donnie and her husband get out and beam at her, and she started to sob. It was the most thoughtful gift anyone had ever given her, and the symbolism of the moment wasn't lost on her. Then, Donnie told her what a labor of love rebuilding the car had been. When Donnie had seen the listing of a Chevrolet Nova, he immediately bought it. It cost him around $6,500 plus $1,500 to ship it to San Diego from South Carolina, and the car was in a terrible state and non-functional. But Donnie didn't care. He was determined to make his mother's dream come true. We admit we overpaid and only used the body, fenders, windshield and the door, everything, and I mean everything, else was garbage, Donnie explained. We eventually stopped counting how much we spent, but I would guess it was around $30,000 mark, using a lot of used parts and restoring a lot by hand ourselves. It took six long years and $30,000, but Donnie and Donnie had done it. But keeping it a secret from Jeannie hadn't been easy. The car was in San Diego where I live and my parents live in LA so we had to move it each time she came to visit, Donnie recalled. They would hide the car in the neighbor's garage, rental trailers, and at friend's houses until it was ready for the big reveal. Donnie and Donnie's cover was almost blown numerous times over the six long years. When Jeannie answered the phone first, she would often be puzzled by who was on the other line calling about parts for the car. Thankfully, Jeannie brushed the collars off politely and would just reply with, I'm sorry, we don't have a nova. When the masterpiece was finally ready, the entire Pinto family was there to witness her surprise, and the whole event was caught on camera by family members. The video of confused Jeannie walking down the drive and then bursting into tears at the surprise of a lifetime was viewed by thousands on social media and they couldn't get enough of her priceless reaction. One commenter wrote, Now this is what I call real news. And others couldn't help but be moved by Jeannie's family's heartfelt gift, what a unselfish act, so kind and tender for both father and son to do something wonderful for his mother and his wife. And another, six years. What a great dedicated father, son duo. Great people, great family. It is evident that Jeannie can hardly contain her excitement as she carefully opens the door and gets into the driver's seat. Her face fills with wonder as she slides the key in the ignition and turns and it roars into life. Then, she gathered her loved ones and went for a spin in her lovingly restored vintage car, into the sunset. Some memories will never die.